“Me and the Hymns,” says the publisher, is a history of her life and experiences as they relate to hymns from which she has drawn meaning and inspiration.

“Casarez has always found comfort and guidance from hymns, appreciating them as expressions of praise, faith, assurance and courage,” said publicity material. “One of her earliest memories — from when she was 4 — is of singing a hymn with other children at a church in Texas.”

The book takes readers back to those early years in Texas, follows her through the Depression and World War II, chronicles her early years in nursing school and the seminary and offers a look at her years at a Mexican Baptist mission in Fort Worth, Texas.

More recently, the author taught nursing and worked in hospital staff development in Elyria, retiring in 1989.

“Casarez associates some hymns with the different time periods of her life — others she simply recalls as longtime favorites,” notes the publisher. “She believes in the power of these hymns, remembering how she was able to comfort her grandfather in the final days of his life by singing him hymns.”

BOOK SIGNING

Two national authors will appear at a book release at Backlist Books in Massillon from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Paranormal romance authors Lucy Snyder of Columbus will be signing “Switchblade Goddess,” published by Random House, and Linda Robertson of Cleveland will sign “Wicked Circle,” published by Simon and Schuster.

Yocum, who spent 11 years as crime reporter for the Columbus Dispatch, is
experienced in crime investigations.

“ ‘In Favorite Sons,’ Yocum puts his knowledge of the way criminals think, the stories crime scenes tell, and the way lives get caught in the balance, to practice,” said the book’s publisher, Arcade Publishing. “The result is a skillfully crafted, emotionally harnessing, and authoritatively captivating thriller that blurs the lines between heroes and villains, and leaves the police, the protagonists, and even the readers conflicted over who they should be rooting for.”

His former employer praised the book.

“‘Favorite Sons’ keeps the reader turning pages with its twisted plot and characters facing high stakes,” said a review in the Columbus Dispatch.

Yocum is a native of Brilliant, and he is the founder of Yocum Communications, a public relations firm in Westerville.

“This is a seething mass of moral turpitude, opportunistic extortion and endemic corruption,” said a review in the Dayton Daily News. “What a tasty debut novel it is.”

BUCKEYE BOOK

“Living creatures emerge from irradiated foods after a terrible accident in this new book for all ages.”

That’s the description by the publisher, RoseDog Books, of a new 88-page book, “Leftovers,” by K.L. Trigg of Grafton.

“An experiment has gone wrong because of a prank and certain irradiated foods have come to life,” explains the publisher. “As the result of an accident, they are shipped to Granny’s Grocery Store a few days before the store’s grand opening. People learn that trouble is just around the corner and manage to save the day and the store.”

The author said the story of ”Leftovers” originated when his daughter asked about a news report on television about protests at a business that was irradiating food.

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